McCainCorrell_LMF

//Learning Motivation and Fun//


//Learning Motivation and Fun//

 * I was interested in the following five questions for my analysis.**

**1.) Is interaction with others important in making a learning experience fun?**


 * 2.) When learning in relation to a hobby, does it matter if participants get something concrete out of the experience?**


 * 3.) If a learning experience is more challenging, do learners enjoy it more than something that is easy?

4.) Does the enthusiasm the teacher has have an effect on how learners perceive the experience?

5.) Does group size matter when the learning is self-directed?**

What are your 5 generalizations?

 * 1.)** **Interaction with others makes for a more enjoyable experience.** Teamwork and collaboration with others, like Beatriz’ experience with co-workers at Amgen, and Dan’s participation with his fellow Boy Scout troop members in a skills relay illuminate this fact. Grandma Ardis looked forward to returning to her ceramics class due to the friends she had made there. Asu enjoyed being in a group in her ELL class to collaborate and create a script, then perform for the class. Of the 77 interviews that indicated a lot of interaction, 43 were female, possibly indicating women prefer a more social learning environment.


 * 2.) Learners prefer getting something “concrete” out of their hobby-learning experiences.** Out of 73 who cited learning a hobby, only 2 indicated “very abstract” or “somewhat abstract.” 17 were a mixture of abstract and concrete, and 48 indicated “concrete” or “somewhat concrete.” Cliff learned how to make a sling for rappelling and climbing cliff faces. Bob was able to learn a piano piece, and Barbara learned how to cross-country ski. At the end of her class, Samm knew how to train her Sheltie. **T**


 * 3.) ****The more challenging and rich in sensory stimuli, the more fun the learning experience.** Out of 71 learning experiences that were highly-challenging, 44 were also rich with sensory stimulation. Mario talks of decorating a cake with only television programs for instruction, which he found to be very challenging and at times frustrating, but ultimately successful. Andy related his experience with learning to screen print T-shirts, and Erika shared a bug-collecting project for her 7th grade science class. In obtaining her pilots license, Deborah described not only some of the difficulty, but also the beauty of the area in which she learned how to fly.


 * 4.) Enthusiastic teachers make learning more fun.** This held true for all age groups, but especially so for those in their twenties. 41 out of 52 fun learning experiences had highly enthusiastic teachers for the 20-29 year old age range. Of this 20-29 year old group, use of humor was also fairly important, with 15 people indicating humor as a part of why the experience was enjoyable. In Captain School, Austin’s instructor was funny and knowledgeable about what he was teaching. Christina describes an exercise class in which the teacher was very animated. Jodi shared and experience wherein the teacher was not only funny and enthusiastic, but came in costume!


 * 5.) Learners enjoy self-directed activities in a small group environment.** 22 learners related an experience in which the learning was largely self-directed. Andrew taught himself to drive a car with a manual transmission, while Kim and James both engaged in problem-solving to manipulate software programs. John and a small group of friends learned on their own, and trained to complete a bike ride to Yosemite. Chris learned how to rappel with camera and climbing equipment by reading and practicing in the comfort of his living room. Of the 22 who indicated 100% self-directed learning, only 4 were in a group of 36+.